Jealousy
by x-MJ-x
Summary: Derek isn't Penelope's 'Hot Stuff' anymore and he hates that, a chance meeting with a beautiful stranger leads him to realise what he really wants. A oneshot written for my best girl Rach - enjoy your starring role.


**Hey lovely people : -) **

**Firstly, I haven't forgotten **_**White Chocolate Knights in White Satin, **_**not by a long stretch, I'm just taking a break whilst I muster the strength to write the excruciating twist I am about to inflict on you all! I'll be back to that soon. **

**In the meantime, this is rather a special piece dedicated solely to my girl Rach, **_**Onetreefan, **_**because I owe her an apology for being such a slack reviewer on her amazing story **_**Eyes Will Lead You Home – **_**If you haven't checked it out, may I ask why not? It is fantastic and is definitely worth a look. The prompt was "I think I should be included in a sexy one shot with Derek... and Penelope because he has to end up with her..." so this is my take on that, hope you like it. **

**Anyway, Rach this is for you and I hope it goes some way towards saying sorry and making my poorly girl feel a little bit better. It's inspired by you and our chocolaty themed FB conversations. I hope you enjoy this. Love you! **

**My author's note is the same as ever: I DO NOT own Criminal Minds, its plots or characters and all recognisable dialogues will be clearly marked in italics. Further to this I should probably say that I DO NOT own a certain special character or any descriptions herein which may or may not be a true representation... Hey I'm an author and I think I get to employ that "all characters are works of the author's imagination..." clause only this time that's not entirely true but I think a certain person is Ok with lending herself to this story... that's all I'm saying...**

* * *

"_Jealousy." _

_**Writer Washington Irving said "There is never jealousy where there is not strong regard."**_

His mood was black and had been all night. Here he was acting in a way befitting a dutiful best friend and he had been hung out to dry like last year's _Calvin Klein's. _Never had he felt so humiliated and as he surveyed the scene in front of him, he knew that was exactly what she had hoped to achieve. She was the Queen in this situation, a social butterfly, flitting between this guest and that and what role had he been cast in? As far as he was concerned, he was the court jester – the prize fool and he knew that this was all his own doing.

He looked around the ever darkening beach watching as all of his friends coupled off- JJ with Will, Prentiss with Brandon, her latest squeeze, Rossi with wife number how many? Hotch with Eloise... a woman he had met at some conference or other and, he had to admit surprise right now, even Reid was sitting by the fire curled up with some young thing who seemed enthralled by the enchantment of his magic tricks in the fire light. He realised with a sinking feeling and a heavy heart that things must be bad for him if even Reid was doing a better job of pulling women than he was. He guessed he was off his 'A' game and although he was well aware of the reason for this, he avoided making eye contact with her and even went so far as to pretend that she wasn't there, despite the whole reason for him having hauled his ass out here in the first place being her.

Penelope Garcia...

Only she wouldn't be for much longer. Soon, six months to be exact, she'd be Mrs Evan Walker and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Not that he would ever admit that he _wanted_ to do something about it – he was a principled man and he could see that Penelope wanted to be with him, but still it hurt like Hell.

He took another long, deep sip of the beer he was nursing as he watched the flames from the fire they had built crack and pop in the cool summer evening. After a while his intent, steel-like stare was interrupted by the image of her, looking as stunning as ever wandering casually across his field of vision. For a moment, he felt his heart soar at the prospect that she was actually coming to talk to him but his heart fell when she appeared to look straight through him like he wasn't even there. He realised then that he had truly been replaced in her life – by a man who had proven himself capable of being her best friend and her lover – a leap he had unfortunately never had the courage to make. Her attention was focussed over his shoulder and she waved at someone standing outside of the cluster of people on this corner of the beach.

"Evan honey, you're late." She crooned, her tone not expressing anger at all.

"Sorry baby, Jeez I thought we were about to have another Wall Street crash... only not on such a large scale and you know, for obvious reasons, not on Wall Street." He replied, his voice thick and full with the slight humour of his own joke.

She laughed like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard and he barely resisted the urge to hit something. She never laughed that way with him anymore...

"Well I missed you today and I was getting worried that you'd jilted me before the wedding – that would not have been a good look at all." Penelope told him, stepping into his wide embrace.

"Oh honey you know I'd never leave you, I love you. Doesn't that diamond prove as much?" He asked her and Derek did not even have to imagine the 'heart melting' dimple he flashed her as he said the words since the pair walked hand in hand back towards the fire and he could see it for himself – completely ignoring him.

He took a moment to take stock, he pardoned his own pun, of the stock market trader who had won the heart of _his _Baby Girl. It had to be said, he had never considered Penelope to be the type of woman who would be interested in a financier or in having that ridiculously overstated full carat brilliant cut rock on her finger, but people were just full of surprises. Except, there were a few pretty predictable factors when it came to Evan... From his starched white shirt and Armani suit, right down to the sickly soft tone he used when talking to Penelope. However, the major factor that really pissed Derek of was that aside from his slightly more willowy build, Evan could have easily passed for Derek – with his dark skin and chiselled features and on more than one occasion Derek had wondered if this wasn't more than half the reason Penelope was with him in the first place. Perhaps that was just his opinion or the fact that he was a sore loser, even when he had staked no claim to the prize (because that is what she was – a prize, one in a million and someone to always be treasured) in the first place but the similarities were just screamingly obvious – at least to him.

He continued to watch the pair as they retreated across the beach and he chuckled to himself as he watched Evan take off his loafers and roll up his sleeves in an attempt to be at least some way towards the kind of relaxed fiancée Penelope wanted him to be. '_That was the trouble with freshly pressed Armani',_ Derek thought to himself, '_it creased_' and then that well placed material smile Evan wore would fade. Perhaps then Penelope would see what had always been so blindingly obvious and she would come running towards him, her fail-safe dependable best friend with his bare, beach-ready sculpted chest in search of a _rock solid chocolate God of thunder_. Which, as had been proven on several occasions, he most certainly was.

Derek took comfort from this thought, so much so that his confidence was restored almost instantly until that was, he looked out across the beach and saw Penelope grab hold of Evan and pull him close for a passionate kiss. Just as Derek had been starting to feel comfort suddenly that green eyed monster was beginning to rear its ugly head again and the only thing he could do was crush the can in his hand... It was either that or crushing Evan's head and frankly he couldn't be bothered to waste the time it would take to justify the murder rap.

* * *

The can was history in seconds - it was flat and yet, Derek kept squeezing it between his fingers.

"Well, I know one thing for sure – I certainly wouldn't want to be in that can's position right now." An unfamiliar voice spoke from somewhere just off to his right, her tone was light and lilting like she was testing the water a little.

"Oh really? Baby you have _no idea_ what these fingers can do." He replied. At first he had been annoyed that someone had interrupted his angry release but something about her tone had intrigued him, had even sounded flirtatiously challenging and the lady-killer in him had immediately come out to play.

"Oh... _really_?" She mimicked his words although she allowed a slight edge of doubt to colour her voice "So, are you offering to show me what those fingers can do then?" She continued after a beat, her voice sounding closer now and if Derek was right he detected a slight air of hesitation there.

"Well that depends sweetness..." He mused, not turning around to look at her since he heard her soft foot falls coming closer by instinct as curiosity began killing the cat.

"On what?" She breathed.

"On whether you're going to play at being mysterious all night, or whether you're going to be brave and admit that what you really want is to join me down here on the sand." He told her, his tone up front and direct as always.

"Well when you put it that way..." She murmured and for a second, the briefest of seconds, he was sure she was going to run for the hills.

He knew his approach was full on and it took a certain type of woman to handle him. It was just that they were both adults, they could both be honest with each other about what they wanted. She _had_ approached him for a reason after all. He guessed that was the test – to see if she was that kind of woman...

She sat down, apparently something about the challenging tone of his voice sparked a thirst in her to prove that she could most definitely handle him.

He turned to her, getting the chance to set eyes upon the mystery woman for the first time. From the tone of her voice – something of a sensual caress on the wind - he had known immediately that she wasn't the type of girl to try too hard – there was nothing fake about her but rather something undeniably and effortlessly sexy. She was beautiful, her eyes alluring and captivating and he was immediately arrested by a need to _know_ her, to have her whisper all of her greatest secrets only to him...

Her brunette hair fell in tumbling waves which despite their beach-made appearance, had that deliberately placed look about them which told him that she was a woman who took care of herself and who took pride in other people's opinions of her.

Her eyes were like endless pools as she watched him watching her and he found her evident nerves and slight blush endearing. He smiled his statement wide grin at her and was pleased when she seemed to relax enough to offer him the smallest, cutest most genuine smile he had seen in a long time.

"So... um... I don't usually do this you know." She told him, her eyes skimming across his broad shoulders and bare torso almost instinctively. He heard her draw in a sharp breath and suppressed a little chuckle. Apparently she liked what she saw.

"Do what exactly?" He asked curious as to exactly what she thought they were doing.

"Oh I don't know... it's sort of silly... I just... well it's just that you looked kind of lonely sitting all the way over here, not by the fire with all the other guests. I guess I could relate." She told him, averting her gaze and taking a sip of the champagne he had only just noticed she was holding in her right hand.

He swallowed the urge to snap that he most certainly was not lonely - at all, choosing instead to accept that he was currently behaving pitifully, moping on the edge of the party like a petulant school boy who hadn't been picked for the team. Instead, he studied her, the beautiful woman who had chosen to bear the burden of his terrible company and found himself wondering why on Earth she would be lonely. She had everything going for her – natural charm, charisma, gumption and curves which were to die for. His was a done deal – the love life he had thought he'd possessed - thanks to Penelope Garcia and her ineffable charm and heart of gold- but hers, this mysterious woman whose name he realised he hadn't even thought to ask – he simply couldn't believe that she was experiencing or indeed should ever be made to experience the self same sense of desperate isolation that he felt right now.

"Oh yeah? How so?" He asked wondering briefly if this was too probing a question for someone he had just met.

She didn't answer immediately, choosing instead to take another sip from her glass.

"Uh it's kind of a long story." She replied evasively.

Oh he had heard that one before and in his experience, when a woman spoke those words, it meant 'it's kind of long story but I'd really like you to listen'. Hey, he might not be capable of being the best, most enthralling company right now but he could listen. He could certainly be that guy.

"Hey... um... beautiful... I'm all ears." He smiled, again noting that whilst the whole 'strangers at the engagement party' thing was turning him on, not knowing her name really was stifling the conversation.

"Oh... But let's see you want the 'Cliff Notes' version because you're a man and your attention span lasts all of five seconds right?" She asked not bitterly, but her tone told him she had met many a 'five second wonder' man. This saddened him.

"Well give me some credit... I think I could last ten." He smiled warmly, taking a relaxed sip of his beer, which was growing emptier and indeed a less necessary 'lean on' with every passing second he spent with this intriguing woman.

She laughed then, the sound musical and light, like this laughter was the first time she had experienced heartfelt release and even happiness in a while. Again he felt a pang of sadness that this might the case and felt that insistent need to understand rise within him again.

"Huh...Well you're just full of surprises aren't you mystery man?" She commented with a smile.

"Again I'll say you have _no idea _baby..." He told her, realising that this was becoming increasingly flirtatious.

"Confident aren't you?" She asks.

"Yes. I see no point in pretending otherwise. _I don't like people in disguises." _He told her.

"Oh Ok, so let me guess, this whole' no names' things we've got going is really starting to get to you right?" She laughed a little.

"You noticed?" He asked as if it hadn't been obvious the whole time.

"Mmm hmm I gotta say, I've never seen a guy study my face as much as you have – it's like you're hoping my name's written on my face or something." She told him.

"Hmm you got me. I'm Derek by the way." He smiled hoping his openness would inspire her to share.

"Well hello Derek. Mm yes, I like it – good strong name, good strong body... Are you for real?" She asked, a twinkle in her eye.

"I'm as real as they come sweet lady, now come on spill... what do I call you?" He asked.

"Oh you don't give up do you? I'm Rachel... my friends call me Rach but since you're not..." She made to continue her sentence but he'd cut across her.

"I'd like to be. Your friend I mean._ Rachel_." He told her.

There was just something about the way he said her name which sent a shiver of anticipation coursing through her body and she was failing at catching herself, she was enchanted by this man with his sculpted chest and sexy lopsided grin – he made her feel alive in a place where previously she had been dying.

He noticed her shiver and looking at what she was wearing – a black swimsuit and gauzy kaftan connected the dots and came up with the wrong answer.

"Are you cold?" He asked concernedly.

"_Aren't_ you?" She quipped using his mistake as a get out clause before she made a fool of herself and ended up with another sad story to tell. Nevertheless, she took the opportunity to shamelessly roam his sculpted perfection again.

"Not at all – but you obviously are. Come on." He replied, pushing himself up off the sand and extending a hand to her.

She waited a moment before taking it and feeling mild surprise when he looped an arm lazily around her waist and walked her towards the fire.

"Let's sit by the fire, take advantage of the heat and then maybe you could tell me this long story." He told her, spying a space by the fireside and taking advantage of it.

"Well come on baby, if you're telling a story, then you usually start at the beginning." He prompted as he watched her take a bite from the chocolate covered strawberry she had picked up from the plate in front of them.

It seemed to him that she was doing anything to avoid telling the story she had mentioned minutes earlier and he wondered why that was, there was clearly something she needed to get off her chest. Still, as he watched her, eating that strawberry, closing her eyes with each bite, his body flared and he almost abandoned his gentlemanliness in favour of taking her home and making them both feel less lonely. Almost. Chivalry had its place and Derek wasn't that 'screw them without thinking' kind of guy anymore. This girl was special and deserved to be made to feel so.

"It's boring... predictable..." She told him reluctantly.

"Hey I'm an uncomplicated kind of guy – I like straightforward, so shoot." He told her.

She shook her head no. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"No? Ok so how about we start with your work. What do you do Rachel?" He asked.

"Do we have to talk about my work?" She asked, looking at him with desperate eyes.

"Oh is it that bad?" He asked, his tone light.

"It's just that in my experience, I find that when I talk about my work, men seem to run a mile." She told him drily.

"Ok so let me guess... traffic warden? Prison warden? Oh no I've got it... Exotic dancer...You know men may talk the talk about dancers but really it's intimidating – a sexy, confident woman pulling the moves on us...Mmm hmm, I can see why you're reluctant to share" He told her playfully with a huge grin, ensuring that she knew he was joking – anything to put her at ease.

She laughed, practically choking on the fresh glass of champagne she was drinking.

"Oh that _is _hilarious and true... but it may surprise you to find that it's none of the above." She told him, still laughing.

"Ok so I give up – come on spill because I'm not going anywhere, no matter how scary you turn out to be." He told her.

"Well... actually I'm a Criminal Analyst. I originally worked out in California for the Police Department but I just got the call from Quantico a couple of weeks ago – I got a spot in the Academy." She told him, her enthusiasm clear.

He was silent for a moment the disbelief overtaking all logical thoughts as he wrapped his head around the odds of meeting a girl like this, someone who would understand his crazy working life. It didn't hurt that she was insanely beautiful and was currently making his body blaze.

"Oh see... I knew it... As soon as I mention that I'm in law enforcement, I scare people off." She told him, rolling her eyes at what he assumed she thought was her own stupidity.

"Honey you're not going to scare me off. In fact you're shaping up to be my perfect woman... You see I'm in law enforcement too. I work at Quantico in the Behavioural Analysis Unit. I'm a profiler." He told her, usually and despite what people may have thought, Derek did not immediately admit to working with the FBI when he first met a woman. In his experience one of two things happened – either he was then subjected to a night when the woman begged for 'punishment for being a bad girl' or they never returned his phone calls once they knew. But finding Rachel, a woman who seemed to understand really was refreshing.

"No way? The BAU... So you work with Agents Hotchner and Rossi?" She asked, her eyes glittering with excitement.

"Mm hmm, they're personal friends – I'll introduce you later they're here right now. You see Penelope... the umm... bride to be is our technical analyst." He told her, hating that he had to talk about Penelope in front of her.

"Wow, you know they're living legends... It'd be great to meet them." She replied excitedly.

"Hey don't let them hear you say that – it'd go straight to their heads and I wouldn't hear the last of it." He chuckled, it still surprised him that people in the job had an idealised almost celebrity centric view of what the BAU did as a sector of the Bureau and of who they were as people.

In fact, he was mildly piqued that she hadn't said "so you're Derek Morgan, you're a living legend you know." Although Derek harboured incredible amounts of respect for his colleagues, they were also his friends and he knew that they were after all as human as anyone else.

"Ok duly noted." She told him with a small giggle.

"So what's your story Rachel? I'm here because I know the girl getting married in a _professional_ capacity. How about you – how do you know the 'happy couple'? Are you a friend of Penelope's?"

"Um... no I just met her today actually... I'm... 'The best friend', Evan's best friend – or at least I thought so." She told him.

"Oh I know that feeling." He told her sympathetically. "So what happened?" He asked.

"Well this is kind of where the long story comes into play, only I've decided it could probably be told in all of ten minutes so I'll give you the short highlights version... although how much of it could be called highlights is debateable." She told him, drawing in a breath.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" He told her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I've known Evan since I started college, I've always been quite shy and he saw me when I thought I was invisible. We'd talk about anything – everything and he always knew how to say the right thing. I thought we'd be friends for life. We never fight and even if we disagree it's never for long. That's the way it always was with us and Evan became someone far more important to me than any ordinary friend. I guess, well the closer we got the more I realised that my feelings were changing, evolving into something that wasn't friendship but rather love. Things started changing between us when I realised that I was falling in love alone... but then suddenly out of the blue he says he's noticed the change and he knows why – then we're in a relationship and it was great, really it was – I thought it was working out and so did he... The next thing I know we're on the beach, this beach actually and he's telling me he loves me and wants to be with me forever... You know I ended up with a ring on my finger and believing that we'd actually get married... and look at me now I'm here toasting his engagement to another woman – a great woman, but you know, not me." She sniffled, wiping away a stray tear.

Derek was shocked, never had he imagined that straight laced, perfect Evan would be capable of doing such a thing, playing as girl and then dropping her when he became bored. It sounded as if the team barely knew him at all and he wondered if Penelope would still feel the same way about him if she knew that he'd messed his best friend around this way. She had a heart of gold and the thought that anyone would have to sacrifice their own happiness for her sake would break her heart.

"How... Uh... How long ago was this?" Derek asked clearing his throat after silence had begun to ensue.

"Two months ago, I haven't spoken with him since he ended it and then he called me out of the blue last week and told me he'd met this amazing girl and had proposed... Derek I came here because I wanted to make sure that he wasn't going to hurt anyone the way he's hurt me but seeing them together... I couldn't even go over and talk to him... but he keeps looking my way and I don't understand it."Rachel told him.

"Baby, this isn't your fault. Evan sounds like a rat and what he did to you was unforgivable. A beautiful woman like you shouldn't be made to feel this way by anybody." Derek told her and he really meant it although currently his mind was on Penelope and how much he really didn't want to see her hurt.

"You know I haven't even told my closest friend about this, I'm sorry I'm telling you – it's just you seemed like maybe you could understand." Rachel smiled a little.

"Oh I understand. See, that girl..." He pointed to Penelope who was staring venomously in the direction of Derek and Rachel "Is the best friend I ever had and I have loved her since the day I met her – if she ever got hurt I don't know what I'd do." He told her and just like that he went from single and available to love struck and off the market.

"I get it. You should probably tell her about all of this and explain how you feel – before it's too late... for both of us." She replied, seeking out Evan in the crowd of his work colleagues and looking at him wistfully.

"Rachel you really should find someone who's worth the time of day, someone who'll respect your heart." He told her, observing her forlorn expression and knowing that he needed to warn her off the heartbreak.

"You know Derek, I hope you find happiness, you're a sweet guy – you know how to make people feel good." She smiled.

"I'm glad to have met you Rachel, I think I needed a friendly face tonight." He told her, leaning in a little and attempting to press a kiss to her cheek but he misjudged his balance and his mouth landed against hers.

For a moment they both sat completely still, afraid to move and shocked by the turn of events. Just seconds ago they had been saying what could only have been goodbyes and now they were locked at the lips.

After what felt like hours, she felt him begin to move against her lips, just the briefest of touches, a tiny caress but it felt so good, so nice and he was so sweet that she couldn't help but return his touches. Eventually her hand came to rest on his shoulder as he pulled her a little closer and they continued to kiss – slowly, softly and with no expectation for more but both knowing that whatever else happened from this point forward neither one of them would feel quite so alone...

* * *

He was just about to pull away and suggest that they ditch the beach in favour of finding some place for a drink and some quiet conversation when all Hell broke loose.

There appeared to be a riot, Evan who had been standing on the other side of the fire only moments ago was now standing above the pair who pulled away from each other in mild confusion.

"Get your hands off of my girl Morgan." The other man growled at him and Derek flared immediately, standing to full height and squaring up to his adversary.

"Oh _this_ is your girl? From what I can tell you broke her heart the minute you realised things were serious between you two and what about Penelope? You're _engaged _to her man and I'll be damned if I let you do to her what you've done to Rachel... you're scum, you know that right?" Derek spat, stepping in front of Rachel whose expression was flabbergasted.

"Who are you to comment on my personal relationships? Penelope is not your girl, she's mine – she belongs to me!" Evan yelled and if it wasn't for the firelight – which threw a fearsome shadow across his features – the man would have looked pitiful. Derek could have easily overpowered him but it wasn't worth the energy.

Penelope stepped forward then, before she had been hiding on the edges of her destroyed party but now she was right up in the space between Evan and Derek stopping any altercation from happening. Derek felt a swell of pride when he noticed that she stood in front of him, protecting him... That was his Baby Girl right there, back from the dead.

"You listen to me asshole" she spoke in an even tone, filled with her usual calm as she jabbed him in the chest, the only give away of her pain being the tortured look in her beautiful eyes, something only her best friend saw.

"First of all I do not _belong _to anyone." She told him, her tone rising only slightly as she punctuated her sentence with another jab.

"Secondly, if you think I'm going to marry you now, after finding out what a low grade loser you really are, then you must be crazy – look at her... _Look _at her!" She instructed, pointing to Rachel.

"Why the Hell would you give someone like her up for someone like me?" She asked her voice laced with pent up tears. Derek's heart bled then, she always had such a low opinion of herself – didn't she know how beautiful she was.

"I... I was..." Evan stumbled and everyone could see he was formulating some ridiculous excuse.

"You _are _an idiot – no past tense about it and I'm sorry I ever met you." She spoke with more calmness than Derek knew she felt.

She took off the cheap ring he had given her and threw it at his feet, stamping it into the sand.

"Goodbye Evan." She whispered moving past him and heading off across the beach.

"Penelope...Wait..." Evan called but the team had come between the pair, protecting their technical analyst the way they always would.

* * *

Derek was in shock, this night had presented him with a whole kaleidoscope of emotions and he didn't know how to deal with them all. He was still blazing with anger but Evan seemed to be doing the sensible thing and skulking off before a team of armed profilers became the murderers they tried to catch... But most importantly seeing his Baby Girl so defeated tugged on his heart strings and he had an overwhelming desire to follow her – to comfort her and to sort out their differences. But he had to think about Rachel. It wasn't fair to run off now, he wasn't that guy anymore, he wouldn't be...

"Derek... I'm so sorry, I should never have come here this is my fault... I should have spoken to Evan privately." Rachel hung her head, knowing that this was all her doing – she had broken up the party.

"No you did the right thing, Penelope needed to know and you, you deserved to see that he hasn't changed and that you deserve better than him." Derek told her, running his hands along her arms in a sign of affection.

"You're a sweet guy Derek really you are, but if I were you right now – I wouldn't be standing here talking to a girl I've only just met, I'd be across the beach trying to win the heart of the woman I really love... Do you get what I'm saying?" She asked, nodding her head towards the retreating figure of Penelope.

"Yeah, I do – Thanks. For putting up with my terrible company and for making me realise that the only reason I'm jealous is because I love her. You're a good person and I hope good things happen for you – Maybe I'll see you in the BAU one of these days... Don't go will you? Stay... talk to my colleagues." He motioned towards the rest of the team who didn't seem complete without Penelope.

"Thanks Derek, go be happy." She smiled turning towards the most revered figures of Agents Hotchner and Rossi along with the rest of the team.

"You too Rachel." He smiled and then he was bounding across the beach, sand spraying in all directions as he tried to catch up to the woman he loved.

* * *

He had gone from a jog to a sprint in a matter of seconds and was still lagging behind her despite his muscular, athletic build and this only acted as proof that she did not wish to be followed.

"Baby Girl" He called to her, his voice a bellow across the silent, empty stretch of sand they were quickly covering.

She did not stop or even turn to look at him, just kept powering towards a place in the distance, nowhere in particular but just away from him and the disastrous party on the beach.

"Penelope, wait – Stop! Talk to me Baby Girl." He shouted and this time she stopped and turned, her white dress swishing in the light wind as she wheeled around with a venomous look in her eye.

"You had to do it didn't you Derek? You couldn't just let me be happy with this one could you?" She asked and the tears she had been keeping inside fell. They always did when she was around Derek whether he was the cause of them or not – she could never hide her emotions from him like a normal person, he had a strange power over her.

"Baby, I couldn't stand to see you get hurt. You deserve so much better than him. I didn't want him to hurt you the way he's hurt Rachel." He told his voice low, for the moment he refused to rise to the argument she wanted them to have.

"Oh... her name's _Rachel. _I had wondered who the mystery girl was – the one you've been all over all night. Seriously, did you_ have _to do that?" She asked and he knew she was not criticising his taste in women but rather that he chose to lavish a woman with attention right in front of her.

"Why does it matter to you so much? You were with Evan all night, you were all loved up and I was sick of being the lonely one so I got talking to a woman who seemed to understand that, she was a friendly face – it just happened that she was a very beautiful friendly face and I liked her. I didn't know it was a crime to spend time getting to know someone you like Penelope." He told her, daring to move closer as he did.

"You _liked_ her? Derek you had your tongue down her throat for Christ's Sake!" She yelled, her emotions making her tone less practised and guarded – finally his Baby Girl was back and was fast proving that she had been watching him as intently as he had watched her.

"It was one kiss! Again, I just don't see why you're so bothered about it. I thought we were friends and when you're someone's friend you're supposed to be happy for them not jealous." He said, knowing that he was the biggest hypocrite out there – that was how he had started the evening after all - sitting there stroking the green eyed monster who lived inside of him with his negative thoughts and causing it to grow immeasurably.

"Jealous? Ha! This from the man who thinks that no man will ever be good enough for his 'Baby Girl'. Tell me Derek – tell me that has nothing to do with the fact that neither of my long term boyfriends have been you!" The words escaped her in a rush of anger and she gasped – she hadn't meant to open that wound or try to mess with the issues that lay dormant between them and yet that was exactly what she had done.

"Yeah that's right, I'm the big mean, jealous FBI Agent. I had wondered what was wrong with me! Of course it would have nothing to do with the fact that Kevin Lynch was the biggest 'screw around' there was - are you telling me you've forgotten about Sara and Jane and Diana and..." He made to continue but her loud sob stopped him.

"Stop... Please stop." She begged, wiping fiercely at her tears.

"Baby I'm sorry." He told her, immediately feeling like the worst person on Earth, he hated being the reason for her pain, Hell he hated seeing her in pain at all.

"No! You don't get to do this anymore Derek. You can't say whatever you want and then expect me to forgive you because you say you're sorry. It doesn't work that way anymore... _We _don't work that way anymore. You know that saying 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me...' that's total rubbish, words hurt – your words hurt me Derek, they stick and they don't go away as easily as flesh wounds you know. " She told him coldly.

"Oh Ok... Now we're getting to the heart of it right? This is about you and me." He replied.

"Isn't it always about you and me? Isn't always about how honest we can be with each other... Or not." She told him.

"You know I had to wonder why you went for Evan... Didn't it strike you as odd that he had a similar name to Kevin and looks surprisingly like me?" He asked bitterly, rising to the bait and engaging with argument he had promised himself he would avoid...

"Alright Mr Profiler you got me Ok? I was trying to fill the voids in my life. Evan's name did remind of me Kevin and yes, he reminded me of what a good friend you used to be, when things used to be good between us. Physical similarities really are of no consequence to me." She told him sadly.

"Penelope what is this? What happened to us?" He asked desperately.

"You ruined everything Derek." She told him, turning away so as to avoid fresh tears from spilling. She stalked off towards a ragged cliff face, trying anything, everything to get away from him and all the feelings she secretly wished she could express.

He realised then that he was going to have to be the one to fix this whole mess – it was him who had created it by never being up front with her about the way he felt and now he had to rectify his mistakes, if he walked away now he knew he would lose her on a very literal level this time.

He jogged to catch her again and when he did, he realised that it wasn't a time for words. If he was going to get through to her then it was actions he needed. Right now, his words would mean nothing to her.

He grabbed her wrist and jammed her roughly, perhaps too roughly, against the cliff. She gasped and tried to pull away, he had never been this forcefully insistent before and he was scaring her a little. She tried to fight but his mass held her firmly against the rock, not allowing her any room for escape.

"Derek... What are you doing?" She asked, beating her hand lightly against his rock hard, bare torso. The skin to skin contact thrilled her – she had seen him without a shirt on the beach and after a session in the gym, of course she had, but she had never been up close and personal with him in this way and as much as she worried where this was headed, she couldn't deny that this was like a dream come true.

"I'm fixing this Penelope; _we're_ fixing this tonight – right now." He told his tone low and guarded, he didn't want to give anything away.

"What do you mean? Fixing what?" She asked in what seemed to be genuine confusion.

"This dishonesty, this jealousy... it's not healthy and I don't want it to be something which breaks us apart." He told her, pressing his body tightly to hers and loving the slight murmur of awareness she gave.

"So you admit you were jealous of Evan?" She asked breathing heavily against him – why wouldn't he let her go?

"If you'll admit that you were jealous of Rachel." He told her bluntly.

"It hurt seeing you kiss her the way you did... I don't know why... we've never been _involved _I have no right to feel anything even remotely close to jealousy and I'm sorry." She told him, hanging her head – God she needed to get out of here fast. Being pressed so tightly against him on a beach, against a cliff, was just not a good idea right now...

"Baby since when did everything become so difficult between us? Everyone knows we flirt and play of course we're involved... Rachel, she was a lovely girl but we were both lonely searching for comfort. I should have realised that something like this would happen. I never wanted her to feel used... but I realise now that I should never have let it escalate so much – I should have done something about that loneliness a long time before I ever allowed it to manifest..." he told her – his finger lifting her chin slightly so that their eyes met.

"Derek I don't understand what you're saying... why do you always talk in riddles Hot Stuff?" She asked.

"I'm sorry... I've never been good at the emotional stuff but I guess what it comes down to is the realisation that I don't ever want us to end up the way Rachel and Evan did, I want us to be there for each other forever – I don't want there to be anything that comes between us." He told her passionately.

"Derek you know _our love is a rock, no bad day can come between us_." She smiled though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I hope that's true Penelope. Really I do because I do love you, you know that right?" He asked her.

"Of course, of course I do. I just wish there was a way we could go back to the way things were before, pre-Evan and all of that drama." She smiled sadly.

"Baby Girl, if there's one thing we've learned in this job it's that we can't change the past but we can make the future better... we could be_ so_ much better sweetness..." He murmured close to her ear.

"How?" She breathed feeling the unmistakable stirrings of desire rising within her.

"Tell me Penelope; tell me you feel it too." He begged - desperation the only thing present in his tone.

"What Hot stuff?" She asked, her hands slipping from his shoulders and resting over his heart.

Suddenly it hit her, they were body to body and there could be no mistaking how or what Derek felt. She could feel his desire, his hardness pressing against her soft thigh with a sense of urgency that stole her breath away.

"Oh..."

He chuckled then, knowing she was already coming to terms with the way his body was reacting and beginning to understand what he meant, but the truth was his physical reaction only told half the story.

"Silly girl, I'm not just talking about _that_, I'm talking about this excruciating pain, right here – right here in my heart." He told her, covering her small, soft hands with his own large and calloused ones.

"You see, I hate to think of you with someone else – kissing someone else, making love to someone else and whispering those three little words to someone else because you're right – I am a jealous man and I'm jealous because when I imagined you in someone else's arms all I can think of is how perfect it would be to be that guy – the one who gets to wake up by your side every morning, who gets to kiss you hello and tell you that they love you more than anything in the world and I was jealous that much as I might dream of being that guy, it would never happen because I'm a coward and you're a Goddess and we are leagues apart." He told her, trying for once to say everything he needed to whilst he had here pinned and quiet – it was a rarity to be sure.

"Derek... Please, don't do this – don't raise my hopes or play with my heart, I can't take it, not now. I've had enough of men who talk the talk without meaning a word of what they say." She told him, all she wanted was for him to be honest.

"Baby I would never lie to you but I understand really I do. I know I should take it slowly but we've been friends for so long and my heart has been aching for years... If you don't want words then maybe there's another way I can convince you that I'm serious about this, about you." He told her, still holding her tightly to him.

"I... I don't understand." She whispered.

"Penelope, I'm trying to tell you that I love you, that I _want_ you and that I always have." He told her and she surprised him with a fresh bout of tears. Never in all the times he had imagined this scene playing out in his head had he imagined her crying, neither though, he conceded, had had he imagined he would tell her he was in love with her whilst pressed up against a cliff on the beach. Life had a funny way of making you admit truths to yourself, it had to be said.

"You... You... Love me?" She asked as if it was the most ludicrous suggestion in the world.

"Sweetness I have loved you since the first time I ever met you and I know that it was never just a passing whim – I feel like this is going to be forever." He told her, brushing a tendril of her long blonde hair from her face.

"Do you know how long I've waited for you to say those words to me Derek Morgan?" She asked, sniffling a little.

"I know... I'm sorry it took me this long to tell you. I tried so many times but something always seemed to get in the way." He told her, knowing it was a poor man's excuse.

"Sugar if you'd said it like you meant it, like I think you do now – then nothing would've got in the way – I've always been yours... my body, my soul and my heart has been ruined for any other man for almost seven years. I'm marked – 'property of Derek Morgan' and I think that's what scares men away, they can see that and they know I can never commit to anyone else whilst I'm so madly and I thought, hopelessly in love with my Chocolate God." She told him.

He looked down at her then, noticing the way her beautiful body was wedged between the harsh greyish brown cliff and the dark, glistening wall of his chest. She was stunning, gorgeous but then these were facts he knew... to him she was the perfection he had been craving his entire life.

"Oh you're marked huh? It's funny... I can't seem to see any..." He mused with a glint in his eyes.

"Really? Now that is strange... I guess they must have faded in the wash..." She told him biting down on her red stained lip seductively, waiting to see how he would react.

"Oh now Mama there's something twisted about that because the kind of marks I leave would certainly never 'fade in the wash" He told her, exuding confidence as always.

"Oh Ok Hot Stuff so what are you going to do about it?" She asked as casually as she could but in truth butterflies of anticipation were fluttering her stomach.

"I'm going to make sure that this time there can't be any doubt as to who's going to be your man Baby Girl." He told her, his head already descending towards hers...

'_Wake up, wake up.' _Her mind was screaming at her as his mouth came to be resting millimetres from hers. If this was a dream she needed it to end now before she embarrassed herself by imagining his lips on hers for the umpteenth time and then made things even more awkward between them.

She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again, repeating the action several times and finding that he was still there, millimetres away and overwhelming close to her lips. Her breathing was becoming erratic and she was sure that she was going to break into a panic attack at any moment. This couldn't be happening... Could it?

This was like some scene from a romance movie rather than real life –_ her_ life. She was always destined to be Cinders and he would always be her Prince Charming, but the thought that they could actually move past dreams, fantasies and fairytales had never been more than passing, something which occurred to her as a fleeting whim rather than a cast iron possibility. She could handle this pressure on her heart; she was going to pass out at any second...

"Sweetness... Relax." He whispered, his breath caressing her lips and cementing this moment in her mind forever.

"I..." She began to reply but she didn't get further than that before he had close the miniscule gap between them and his lips were on hers.

At first he did not move. Apparently he too had been testing the possibility – sure that she was going to end this crazy, perfect thread of time before it even began and he was therefore surprised by the fact that she hadn't. Just the feeling of her lips beneath his caused a surge of certainty to rise within him – this was meant to be, this was incredible, _she_ was incredible.

After several seconds during which time neither one of them had moved even an inch, he began to push against her full red mouth, hoping and praying that she would kiss him back.

He flicked his eyes open and took an opportunity to look at her right now – her eyes squeezed tightly shut and her hands, previously fisted were now relaxed against his chest. She was beautiful...

She seemed to recover after a time and she pushed against him restlessly, her arms sliding back up to his shoulders and her hands securing around the back of his head locking their faces together and allowing no room for his escape. He was hers now, that was a fact.

She moaned softly, frustrated by his gentility and suddenly discovering the need to increase the passion of the kiss. She bit at his lips, little nips uncomfortable enough that he hummed a groan against her mouth and in doing so granted her access to his mouth.

Her quick tongue darted between his teeth and stroked the walls of his mouth, showing him what she needed from this kiss and from him. It didn't take long for him to understand and soon their tongues were tangoing and they were being carried by the tidal wave of their passion...

Her hands slipped down his back and her slender, soft fingers applied pressure to each sinewy muscle until she reached the waist band of the white shorts he wore and began pulling away from him reluctantly.

She rested her head against his shoulder for a moment as she tried to recover her breathing to something resembling normal pace.

"Penelope baby what's wrong? What's the matter?" He asked, half afraid of the answer.

"We can't Derek... not here... not like this." She murmured as she felt him toying with the wide Grecian style strap of her dress. She wanted him to do whatever it was he planned but she was also aware that they were in a public place and had been seen having a very public argument. She wouldn't be surprised if one of the girls doesn't come looking for her soon, just to check that she hadn't killed Derek in her rage.

"Oh Hell no. I am not letting you go now – you'll over think it, you won't give us... me a chance and I am not taking that risk." He growled but she knew if she said no he would let her go, he wouldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do.

"But baby, we're on the beach and there are still people here..." She tried to formulate the excuse but suddenly felt the need to be selfish just for now, just for one night.

"What exactly are you thinking is going on here?" He asked, his eyes glittering in the increasing darkness. He knew what he thought she was expecting, it was the same thing he wanted but there was something about making her say it which thrilled him.

"Um... Well... That kiss was... incredible..." She replied, not answering the question but making a statement.

"You don't have to tell _me_ that sweetness... Now what is it that you want Penelope?"

"I want you." She replied wantonly.

"Where?" He asked, latching on to her neck and she knew he was going to make her say it, beg for it.

"Oh... Here... Oh... right here." She told him through stifled gasps as he drove her to incoherence with each burning kiss he placed upon her neck.

"You want 'sex on the beach'?" He teased.

"Oh Hot Stuff I've had sex on the beach before." She teased her voice heavy and suggestive.

"Really?" He asked, he had to admit he was a little surprised to say the least.

"Mm hmm... It's a great cocktail." She smiled and he laughed then, realising that he should have known better.

"Crazy Girl." He chuckled as he caught her lips with his.

"So... we're really going to do this?" She asked when she noticed that his hand was toying with her dress strap again. Her tone was mildly panicked.

"Only if you want to Goddess." He replied and she fell head over heels madly in love with him all over again, Derek Morgan was the perfect man - so loving and considerate and never selfish – jealous yes... but then what was it they said about jealousy and what girl wouldn't want a strong sexy man like Derek to be jealous of the competition?

"Don't hurt me." She murmured and he had his answer, there really had never been a question of 'if' when it came to them but rather when.

"I promise you Penelope, whatever else happens for us, from now on and in future I will never be the one to hurt you." He told her earnestly and with him, she knew that he meant every word.

"Ok." She replied, still a little hesitantly – it was risky, they could be caught by anyone but she wanted him and the whole idea was turning her on.

"Ok." He smiled, glad that they had reached an understanding and that he had pledged a promise he intended to keep if it was the last thing he did on this earth.

He stood opposite her, their bodies melded together and he looped his arms around her waist giving her a gentle squeeze. It was something he felt she needed, her perfect body was shaking like a leaf and he knew she had every right to be nervous – he was experiencing a thrill of fear he had associated with his first time and he realised then that some deity had reset time for them, had offered them this chance and he intended to do things right this time.

For the longest time he stood there just staring into his eyes and she had to wonder whether something had changed his mind. Maybe she had been too forward suggesting the beach for their first time – she was never normally this brazen but this was him, her dream man. He kept eye contact with her as his lips descended onto hers again only shutting them when he could no longer focus on her milk-white skin and glittering, desperate eyes.

He pulled away after several minutes of deep and heartfelt kissing to really study her. Was this too fast? Hadn't they waited long enough?

"Penelope are you sure?" He asked, ever the gentleman.

"Yes." She nodded her head to confirm this.

This seemed to be all the confirmation he needed. Something seemed to have snapped inside of him and the man in front of her was barely recognisable as Derek Morgan. His usually black eyes smouldered with a kaleidoscope of colours as his lips caressed her skin, every inch. Her lips, her cheeks her neck, her throat finally brushing against the swell of her cleavage.

She threw her head back, wincing as she remembered the rocks – a low moan escaped her lips and her hands stroked the back of his head as she felt him take the fabric of her dress in his mouth sucking and pulling it with his teeth.

"D... Derek..." His name came out in a breathy whisper as she felt her skin rising to him, her nipples straining against their fabric prison desperate to be touched by their wicked captor...

"Penelope..." He mumbled as his hand grasped the right strap of her dress, the one he had been toying with for most of the night and pulled it down her arm. Never had a man made her name sound so sexy, she never wanted to hear it any other way...

He worked both straps quickly down her arms and stepped away a little to allow her to shirk the fabric off. He had fully intended to grab her immediately but the sight of her, standing there biting her red lips dressed on in see through white lace just stopped his world...

He had always fantasised about her fantastic body and what it would look like if he ever had the opportunity to rip off those sexy clothes she teased him with but this was out of this world – something completely unimaginable. She was beautiful.

"Derek I know I'm not..."

"Shut up and kiss me woman." He order cutting off her negativity before it even started.

She drew in a deep breath then, his force still surprising her and thrilling her simultaneously.

"Baby you are beautiful, do you hear me Mama... Beautiful." He whispered as his hands expertly unclasped her bra and it soon joined her dress on the sand.

His pupils dilated and he became harder for her than he had been for any other woman the second his eyes fell to observe her perfect breasts. He had known that she would be perfect but he guessed the reality of actually being able to see her this way, to touch to her was only just beginning to settle on him.

He wasted no time, bending his head and take her hardened pink nipple into his mouth hungrily. Her flesh tasted sweet and her soft moans exhilarated him, pushing him, encouraging him to continue his attentions. She sighed and gasped alternately as he changed the amount of pressure he applied to her sensitive skin and he knew he was lost to all others...

"Oh God... Derek... Please..." She begged as he switched his efforts to her left breast and his fingers made their way beneath the soft lace of her panties, teasing her into submission.

"Please what?" He asked innocently although he knew exactly what she wanted.

"Touch me... Please... Oh GOD!" She screamed as his long fingers found their way into her intimacy whilst his left hand stripped her of her last fabric vestige.

"Amazing..." He murmured as you moved her hips against his probing hand, wanting nothing more than to cry tears of unbridled joy.

"Baby let go." He whispered as he felt her begin to quiver and shake.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she revelled in this moment of passionate joy. She loved that finally after so much time he was the one standing here pleasuring her, offering her the release she had never really experienced with other lovers. It was then that she realised that he was the perfect lover and it was true that there was only one for everyone... He was hers, he always had been and always would be...

Penelope zoomed away from the beach, flying on the wings of the incredible, Earth shattering orgasm which he had caused to rip through her and she honestly could not pin point a moment when she had felt happier... She experienced Heaven in that moment and she knew that throughout the whole of her life before Derek Morgan she might as well have been dead. Never had she experienced the emotions she did when she was with him...

"Jesus Penelope, that was sexy as Hell." He growled after a time, a blissfully indeterminate amount of time during which she had thought only of him and she realised with a certain wistful sadness that she had come back down from her high...

"I love you." She told him tearfully as she stood there, barely managing to stay upright on her shaking legs.

"I love you too." He told her, noticing that for the first time she had actually used those exact three little words he had longed to hear.

He supported her as she tried to regain proper usage of her extremities, guiding her leg around his waist and bearing most of her weight. After several heavy breaths she seemed to be alright again, apparently it had been a long time for her and this saddened him, a girl like her deserved to be satisfied every time...

"Thank you." She whispered simply, her fingers raking down his smooth chest and finding their way to the waist band of his swim shorts.

"Baby Girl never thank me for something you should know you can demand, something you deserve." He told her shuddering as he felt the lick of the night air on his gradually exposed body.

She looked down between their bodies, smiling at his tented shorts as she reached for the drawstrings.

"Looks like someone's keen." She giggled as she inched the shorts down his body.

"Oh baby 'keen' does not even begin to cover it." He told her wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close for another mind blowing kiss. Despite how perfect it was she fought against it, frustrated that he had stopped her from finishing undressing him.

"Derek you're not playing fairly... Here I am all exposed and you're still dressed... Well half dressed at least..." She whinged.

"Baby Girl... Have patience." He told her, his voice deep and commanding.

"You know I've been particularly fond of that virtue." She told him, grabbing the waistband of his shorts and pulling them clean off after fending off several near irresistible kisses.

"Yes!" She cheered and clapped herself triumphantly as took a moment to appreciate her _sculpted God of Chocolate_ _Thunder_ in all his glory.

She let out a gasp as she noticed his sizeable erection and couldn't even begin to comprehend that it was all for her...

"Silly Girl did you think I was joking all these years?" He asked with a laugh.

"I... I guess I never imagined it would happen. I dreamed of course I did but I thought that's all it ever would be." She replied.

"It's happening now sweetness and I'm sorry I left it this long..." He told her sincerely.

"We're both to blame Hot Stuff." She told him truthfully as her hand snaked between their bodies and she moved to grip him.

His hand followed hers and he lifted her curled fingers away.

She shot him a look of panicked confusion as she recoiled from him...

"Later..." He told her, his voice holding the clue to his desperation.

"Ugh! But Mama wants to play..." She moaned giving him a quick stroke to show him what she had in mind, maybe then he would indulge her.

"Later." He growled again, hoping that she was picking up on the fact that he intend to take her home with him tonight.

"Please Penelope... I need... you... I need to be in you." He begged and his desperation was endearing and heartbreaking, so much so that she felt she couldn't deny him anything.

She nodded, biting her lip nervously. Only now did she consider the logistics of their location – it made things awkward to say the least and then there was the fact that the sea was beginning to swirl at their feet... Her dress and underwear were soaked through and there was a great likelihood that they would have to face the others again later and then they would all know what they had been doing out here...

She looked at him with uncertain eyes as she mulled this over in her mind, trying to decide whether she should suggest that they get out of here and head to her place. But she knew they had both come too far now to stop, her body ached for him – she had to have him here to prove to herself that she could.

"Baby don't worry... it's going to be Ok." He told her and suddenly his strong arms were lifting her and she was above him supported by his weight and the sheer strength he possessed.

"Derek what if..."

"I won't let you fall... I promise I've got you." He told her, anticipating her words and allaying her fears "wrap your legs around me baby... Trust me. You trust me don't you?" He asked, urgency colouring his tone.

"With my life baby." She told him with a sigh of contentment, this man would never let her go, he would never hurt her – he was only capable of loving her forever.

"Good." He murmured as she secured her legs around him, subsequently lining their bodies up perfectly.

She felt surge forward, felt his desire pressing against her intimacy but suddenly he stopped – it was an abrupt action and caused her to let out a yelp of anguish.

"What is it? Baby what's wrong?" She begged.

"Sweetness I almost forgot about protection, I promise I have never done this before... I need you to know that I respect you Penelope – that's why we should stop and wait until we're safe." Derek told her and she could tell that it pained him as much as it did her to hear the words spoken.

"Derek I've waited seven years for you – I am not about to let you go now. I'm on the pill – we'll be fine." She told him and before he had time to argue she had dropped herself (enjoying the mild sensation of falling) those final inches until he was inside of her and she was going wild with contentment and happiness...

"You... are... so... bad!" He told through several sporadic kisses to her neck and throat as he gave her time to adjust to him...

"That's why you love me though right?" She asked as she leant in for a kiss.

"One of the many reasons Baby Girl." He replied, catching the gasp she let out in another kiss.

"Are you alright?" He asked her concernedly.

"I'm fine, this is perfect Derek – you are perfect." She told him with a wide smile and he seemed to take this as confirmation that she was ready...

That first thrust was magical. It was symbolic of their union in so many ways – it was the moment that they mutually realised that they could never hope to make sense independently. They were destined to be joined forever.

He started slowly ensuring that she was comfortable, or as comfortable as possible whilst wedged against a slab of rock, but quickly found that she was eager to increase their pace.

She threw her hips into overzealous thrusts and he matched her pound for pound as she rolled her body against his and let out the most delicious mewls of delight he had ever heard.

"Penelope... you are amazing woman!" He told her appreciatively as he kissed his way across her perfect skin.

He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to last, he could feel his passion building and bubbling inside of him and he wanted nothing more than to release it, to make her understand how much he loved her, but he had to be considerate and he knew that to make this special, he needed to wait until they could go together – their first time deserved that at least.

He looked up at her then and his heart was filled with thoughts of adoring worship as he saw the way her bountiful body bounced above his and she looked like there wasn't a thing in the world that could make her happier than she was right now. She looked close and he knew he could be selfless enough to take her there...

She opened her eyes after a while, sensing his beautiful eyes on her and she smiled down at him lovingly knowing that his anguish was a pain she shared.

"It's Ok baby, It's Ok – let go." She told him with a swift kiss.

"You're amazing Penelope you know that right? He told her bracing his hands against the rocks in front of him.

"Why thank you my prince, you're pretty amazing yourself." She smiled as his thrusts began getting more urgent and closer together...

The last thing Penelope saw before she clenched her eyes closed and welcomed the ripples of another fantastic orgasm was a wave in the distance building and frothing white as snow as it reached a rolling crescendo and then crashed out across the swirling dark water. The last thing she remembered thinking was that the wave was the metaphoric epitome of their literal journey and then there was only Derek...

* * *

The torch light bounced off the rocks and threw back images of empty stretches of sand as they trudged forward, the wind, which had picked up, whipping through their hair.

They had only really started to get concerned now that the beach was black with the settled night. Penelope had been with Derek and whilst last time either of them had been seen they had been fighting, it was a certainty that he would do anything to protect her if the need arose, but neither of them had been seen for almost an hour.

They had called out their names after following the path they had taken when they had headed up the beach, to no avail – all that answered them was the crash of the waves and the slight whistle of the wind.

As they drew closer to the cavernous cliffs, they sound of someone's soft sobs could be heard and they picked up their pace, knowing that the likely source of the sobbing was Penelope...

They rounded the corner and it was only at this short distance that they realised their mistake – it had not be sobbing they'd heard at all but rather soft gasps and sighs hitting the air...

Their eyes fell onto the entwined bodies and there could be no mistaking what they had stumbled upon in the darkness. Derek's body, toned and athletic was revealed to them momentarily in the moonlight and they both turned away.

As they retreated, the sound of Penelope's lust- filled voice filled their ears...

"Derek... I love you." She told him...

"I love you too Baby Girl." They heard him tell her.

"You know, I think they'll be Ok." Emily mused as she turned to JJ.

"I think you might be right." Her blonde friend replied.

As they walked back up the beach to encourage the others to go home, one thing was for sure _jealousy most definitely did not come without strong regard._

* * *

**There you are my darling, 12,000 words later and it's ready for reading now : -) I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of the prompt and that you enjoyed your time with the Chocolate God... Looks like I fell on my sword and surrendered him to you – just for this story of course... Never forget that he came into *MY* office in EWLYH... Hmm looks like we're about even. **

**Anyway, I really hoped that you enjoyed this piece and will feel free to let me know what you thought of it. **

**I've been through it and I think I caught the edits but if there are some mistakes please forgive me... **

**I'll be back to WCKIWS soon but I'm sure more one shots (if 12,000 words can actually be called that) soon. **

**Love always to my lovely reviewers**

_**X~Michelle~X**_


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